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Candidate withdraws from CAS dean search
One of the finalists in the search for a new dean for the College of Arts and Sciences has withdrawn her name from consideration for the position.
Stephanie L. Barczewski, professor of history, associate dean of research and graduate studies, and director of off-campus programs for the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities at Clemson University, is no longer pursuing the position, according to Robert Daly, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of English and search committee chair.
"Although she (Barczewski) was enthusiastic about what she called a 'tremendous opportunity...in moving UB forward towards becoming one of the nation's best research universities,' personal circumstances have necessitated her decision not to pursue this position further," Daly said.
Barczewski was to have visited UB Monday and Tuesday for interviews with representative faculty, staff, students, members of the university's senior leadership team and selected community partners and individuals.
The remaining candidates are Robert R. Edwards, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature, and former director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanistic Studies at Pennsylvania State University who was chair of the UB English department in the late 1980s; J. Scott Whitaker, professor of physics and associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University; and Bruce D. McCombe, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the UB Department of Physics who has served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since last summer.
Whitaker is completing his two-day visit to campus today. Edwards was here on Feb. 19 and 20; McCombe's interviews were held on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.
Daly urged members of the university committee to submit their feedback on all the candidates to the search committee at cas-dean@vpsa.buffalo.edu.
Staind frontman Lewis to perform
The Center for the Arts will present Staind frontman Aaron Lewis at 8 p.m. April 4 in the Mainstage theater in the CFA, North Campus.
When Lewis hits the stage for his "Have Guitar, Will Travel" solo, acoustic tour, he'll be stripped of the usual fanfare of rock. Armed with just his guitar, his songs and audience requests, he'll bring the concert experience back to basics. It'll be just one man and his guitar, dissolving the barricade between artist and fan.
The iconic singer/songwriter, who is considered by many to be one of the most relevant and prolific artists of his generation, will roll out an unscripted evening of Staind hits, along with an eclectic mix of cover songs. He first proved his acoustic chops on the national stage with a solid "MTV Unplugged" performance, and will continue the momentum on this tour, customizing each set on the spot to ensure that no two shows will be alike.
Tickets for Aaron Lewis are $29 for the general public and $25 for students and are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.
For more information call 645-ARTS.
The Decemberists to appear in CFA
The indie band The Decemberists will perform at 8 p.m. March 30 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.
The Decemberists have risen to the first rank of the indie music world with a series of bold albums, including 2005's "Picaresque and Her Majesty" and "The Decemberists" (2003). On these albums, frontman Colin Meloy's crafty compositions marry an infallible melodic knack with a venturesome lyrical palette suitable for painting fantastical songs full of sea captains, legionnaires, chimney sweeps and seekers of all kinds. The 2006 release "The Crane Wife" marked the group's major label debut and has topped many of the year's "best of" lists. The album was inspired by a Japanese folk tale of the same name.
Led by these songs and by a group dynamic that embraces experimentation even as it celebrates classic pop and folk forms—to say nothing of klezmer, Irish jig, sea chantey, and prog rock—The Decemberists are firmly established as a completely original happening in the world of contemporary indie rock: sold-out tours across the nation, widespread popular and critical acclaim, and an aesthetic all their own.
Tickets for The Decemberists are $25 for the general public and $20 for students and are available at the CFA box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, call 645-ARTS
Humanities Institute to hold open house
The Humanities Institute will hold its annual open house from 4-6 p.m. March 20 in the Special Collections Research Room, 420 Capen Hall, North Campus.
Robert Daly, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, will speak on "Why We Have to Read This Stuff, and Worse Yet, Think About It: New Work on the Practical Value of Literature and Even Theory."
The Humanities Institute open house provides a forum for lifelong learners, students, alumni, friends from the community and faculty to come together to enjoy presentations by distinguished humanities' scholars, spirited discussion and refreshments.
For more information, call 645-2711 or go to http://www. humanitiesinstitute.buffalo.edu/.
Frost to be next 'author'
Karolyn Smardz Frost, author of "I've Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad," will read from her work at 7 p.m. March 19 in Musicalfare Theatre at Daemen College.
Frost will appear as part of the Meet the Author series presented by WBFO-FM 88.7, UB's National Public Radio affiliate.
The reading will be free and open to the public. Bert Gambini, executive producer of the Meet the Author series, will serve as host. A book signing will take place immediately following the reading and light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact WBFO at 829-6000.
Estate planning seminar planned
The Office of Planned Giving will present a seminar on "Estate Planning Strategies" at 5:30 p.m. April 17 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.
The seminar is designed for current and retired UB faculty and staff members.
Richard D. Thompson and Thomas R. McGrath from TIAA-CREF will serve as co-presenters. The seminar will deal with a number of topics, including unique estate planning strategies and their effect on your legacy, common mistakes related to planning income distributions and a review of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, among others.
Although the program is free for current and retired UB faculty and staff members and their spouses, space is limited. To reserve a spot, call the Office of Planned Giving at 829-2632, ext. 280, or send an email to dev-pg@buffalo.edu.
International fellowship established
A $200,000 gift from Taher Razik, professor emeritus in the Graduate School of Education, and his wife, Myra, will help raise awareness about the global community by endowing an international fellowship at UB for a junior faculty member from Egypt.
The fellowship will provide for three years of study toward a doctorate in educational administration in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy and will cover tuition and fees.
"This gift to the university—and to Western New York—is for the great life we have enjoyed here. Over the years, we have benefited from talking and visiting with people from different cultures," said Razik, who was born in Egypt. "We hope that by giving an opportunity to an international junior faculty member to study at UB that we will increase others' understanding of the global community, as well as help graduate a person who will benefit his or her international community."
Razik, who received his master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University, taught in the Graduate School of Education from 1963 until his retirement in 1995. The author of many books and articles, he is working on the third edition of the textbook "Fundamental Concepts of Educational Leadership. "Razik is a member of UB's Institutional Review Board.
Myra Razik is an active member of the international committee of UB's Women's Club. The committee sponsors monthly brunches for foreign students so that they can interact and exchange ideas with each other and people in the community.
"We greatly appreciate the Razik's generosity," said Mary H. Gresham, dean of the Graduate School of Education. "Because of Taher and Myra, we will be able to provide even greater intellectual opportunities for global dialogue; this scholarship will prove beneficial for both faculty and students in GSE."
The sponsoring university will cover the faculty member's transportation and salary. Recipients of the Taher A. and Myra S. Razik International Fellowship are expected to meet all university admission requirements for international students.